These Are The Moments
by Art
Summary: Another adventure with Xe and Gabby. Come and see


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Standard Disclaimer: You know the drill, folks. Xena, Gabrielle, etc..All the people you see on the show that are in this story aren't mine. (DANG!) Also, any person or object that isn't on the show cannot be copied or used _without_ the author's permission (A.K.A. MINE!), and is not to be copied for public use or for profit. 

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Specific Story Disclaimers:

Violence- Nope, none whatsoever. Oh wait, this isn't a Barbie/Ken story. Of course there is violence. But not too much. I give it a rating of PG-13. That's all. Oh yeah, there is also a little itty-bitty smidge of swearing. Whoops? Well come on. It is Xena and Gabrielle. Well, it's not too bad anyway.

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Subtext- Okay, yes, I do believe in the subtext and you can tell. It doesn't get too bad. I mean, well. Judge for yourself. I'm only 16 so it's not too graphic. But, if you're under 18, please either go ask permission from your parents/guardians (like I had to do, so I could write this) or find something else to read. There are plenty of good stories out there.

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Another Disclaimer- The song "I Could Not Ask For More" does not belong to me, nor did I write this amazing song. You have Diane Warren to thank for that. I just wanted to say that and no copyright infringement is intended. Also, I had to move a little of the words around so they would fit in the story. Sorry Miss Warren. 

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Special Thanks- Okay, I would really like to thank all of my friends who supported me to finally finish this thing. Like for instance…Oh what were their names again? Oh yeah! Just kidding. First off, I want to thank my little sister. She was a gem. She's been through a pretty rough time in her life, but hopefully things will work out with her. And, the rest of you better know who you are. I just thought you (the reader) wanted to get to the ACTUAL story. And last, but not least, I want to thank the creators of the show "Xena: Warrior Princess" if they hadn't of created this awesome show, I never would have written this. Of course, the characters did this too. If it weren't for Lucy and Renee, I would have never been inspired to write at all. So, thank you all.

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Author's Note: Ok, in my Xenaverse, Gabrielle still has long hair and she uses her Sais _and_ a staff. But, that doesn't mean in my 'verse they haven't gone through all that stuff. (~~~ If this confuses anyone, just e-mail me and I'll explain better) Also, this is a sequel to my other story "I Love You Always And Forever'. There are some referrals to that story so it would be less confusing if you read that. Ok, having said that, enjoy the story. 

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These Are The Moments

The bard sighed heavily. It had been over a week since their very pleasant vacation Zeus had provided them with. Now, Gabrielle had regretted mentioning the incident where Xena had found her up in Ares' room. 

"Xena, by the gods, will you please drop it?!" Gabrielle exclaimed. She didn't like fighting with her soul mate, but Xena wouldn't let it go. "I am telling you, _yet again_, NOTHING happened with Ares and me."

"If it's nothing, then why won't you tell me?" Xena asked. 'What is she hiding?' Xena asked herself.

"Xena, it was a big piece of nothing. And hey, I'm not hiding anything." Gabrielle replied to Xena.

Xena, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open, asked, "How in the world did you know what I was thinking?" 

"Xena, I have been traveling with you for a long time. I have been reading your mind for awhile." Gabrielle lowered her head, hoping Xena wouldn't be mad at her.

Noticing her friend becoming uncomfortable, Xena decided to go back to the previous argument. "Gabrielle, would you stop trying to change the subject and tell me why in Hades you were tied to Ares' bed!" 

'Oh my gosh! She is driving me crazy!' "Xena, I'm telling you absolutely…"Gabrielle was about to finish her sentence but Xena interrupted.

"Hey, be quiet for a minute, please." Xena was mad at Gabrielle but she wasn't going to be rude. "Did you hear that?" Xena questioned.

Gabrielle ignored the pounding in her head and concentrated on a far-away noise. She was quickly reminded what that unmistakable noise was. A Battle. 

"Shall we continue this later and go up ahead and see if we can help?" Xena asked. She was really tired of fighting, but she wanted to know what had gone on. There was 1 thing bothering her. It was plain and simple, jealousy.

"Well, I would rather not continue this at all, but let's go see what's going on up there." Gabrielle sighed again and gave her horse a soft nudge and the two warriors galloped away.

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The battle itself was a short one. The _hard _work had been getting everything straightened out. So, after a tiring day, Xena and Gabrielle decided to go to the local tavern/inn and get a drink. When they arrived, they decided to check and see if their were any rooms available for the night. 

"After you, Gabrielle." Xena said as she held open the door.

"Thank you, Xena." Gabrielle replied as she let a little chuckle escape her throat. She had known one of the reasons Xena always held the door open for her and it always made her giggle.

"Hey, don't tell me you read my mind again?" Xena asked playfully. 'Gods, I hope not.' Xena let a sly grin capture her face.

"Of course not, Xe" Gabrielle smiled at the little nickname she had given her strong, battling, warrior. She remembered the time Xena had told her that she hated when people spelled her name wrong or they pronounced it without the na. So, guess what her little bard buddy called her. 

By this time Gabrielle couldn't hold back her small laughter. Xena looked over at Gabrielle and knew precisely what Gabrielle was thinking about and she said, "That's enough from you Scabby."

This time it was Gabrielle who was surprised at her friend's ability to read _her_ mind. 

"Oh, come on, Gab. I've been reading your mind for a really long time!" Xena imitated Gabrielle.

Right before Gabrielle was about to protest, Xena quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a table in the corner and said," C'mon, I was only messing with ya. Let's get something to eat. What do you say, Junior" Xena directed her face to Gabrielle's stomach. 

Right on schedule, Gabrielle's stomach grumbled. This only encouraged some more laughter from the warrior princess. 

Gabrielle just decided to laugh along. 'Hm…Maybe Xena will be in a good mood and she can drop the whole "Ares" thing… Saying his name, even in her mind, almost made her sick to her stomach.

Xena noticed how quickly Gabrielle's good mood deteriorated. "What's wrong Gabby?" Xena asked soothingly. She placed a supportive hand on Gabrielle's leg.

Gabrielle quickly pushed Xena's hand away, not allowing herself to remember that she was with Xena, not Ares. 

Xena became really upset now. Gabrielle had pushed her away when she was trying to comfort her. "For Zeus's sake, what's wrong?!" Xena asked, while letting her emotions run free.

"Nothing Xena. I…You just startled me when I was in a daze. That's all." Oh. By the gods that was a horrible lie. Gabrielle didn't want to lie to Xena; she just didn't want to tell her what set her off. At least, not here.

Before Xena could say another word, a young man in his late twenties walked up to their table. "Excuse me," the young man politely interrupted, "Are you the famous "Battling Bard of Potadeia? If so, would you do me this honor and dance with me?" He extended his hand to Gabrielle.

"I got a better idea." Xena said as she pushed his hand away from Gabrielle. "Why don't you…"

Gabrielle knew exactly what Xena was going to say so she interrupted her friend and took the mans' hand and said, "Well, yes I am and I would just _love _to dance."

Xena gave Gabrielle a cold gaze but Gabrielle just walked away with the young man.

When the two started dancing, Gabrielle decided to try and get to know the man. "So, what's your name?" Gabrielle asked. She felt like she was 15 summers old again. She had become a little embarrassed. She wished Xena had been a little more polite.

"My name is Drake. I'm from Athens." He replied with a soft smile. 

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Drake of Athens. I apologize for my friend's…rudeness. We were in the middle of an argument." Gabrielle tried offering an explanation, quickly glancing over at Xena and noticing she was memorizing the man's features. Although, she had to admit, Drake was a handsome man. Almost as tall as Xena, but he was about 6 foot tall, he had a soft-featured face. He had sun-colored, blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She did have to admit that Drake wasn't bad to look at. Not that she _cared_ about that anyway, seeing as she had 'tall, dark, and deadly.' 

"Don't apologize. I wasn't going to disturb you, but you looked like you needed to leave the table. Also, it gave me the opportunity to dance with a very beautiful woman."

A slow blush covered Gabrielle's face. "Thank you for asking me to dance. Xena doesn't really care for dancing in public." 'There you go again, Gabrielle. Don't bring up her name up when you're mad at her. Ugh'

"Are you kidding? It was my pleasure. The woman must be crazy for not dancing with you." Drake complimented Gabrielle.

Gabrielle's face stayed red for quite some time. The two danced and talked for the better half of the night. Xena was just boiling in anger, watching her friend have so much fun with almost a complete stranger. There was something about that man that Xena didn't like. She sensed something, almost evil, about him.

While the two were dancing to a slow song, Drake decided to be bold and kissed Gabrielle. Gabrielle's first reaction was "Oh no, this boy is as good as dead if Xena is watching. Which of course she is.' Then, she thought 'Ok, if it looks like I'm struggling, she will defiantly kill him. But, if I don't fight him, maybe he can live.' So, Gabrielle let the boy kiss her.

Xena watched as this man was kissing _HER _Gabrielle! She was really pissed off. She threw her sack of dinars on the table and stormed out of the tavern. She decided a walk and some fresh air would cool her off before she got the urge to kill the man. Or, do something to Gabrielle she would end up regretting. It hadn't upset her that much until she noticed Gabrielle didn't put up a fight. In fact, it almost looked like she enjoyed it. 

Gabrielle pried herself away from Drake as she noticed Xena leave and asked, "Why did you do that?" She had made sure that she didn't pass herself off as available. 

"Well, I thought you liked me." Drake replied. 'Little temptress! She dares to offer her love for me, and now when I show her my love, she takes her love away. Bitch.'

Gabrielle noticed how his calm brown eyes had almost changed in front of her. He began to scare her.

"Well, I do like you. As a friend and only a friend. I thought you knew about me and Xena."

"What?! You and Xena are a…you know!" Drake was really confused…and angry. He noticed when Xena had tried putting her hand on Gabrielle's leg and been pushed away, he had automatically assumed the rumors were in fact, just rumors. 

"Well, it was nice talking to you, but I must leave. Thanks again for the dance." Gabrielle turned and started walking away.

Drake stood there, a confused look on his face, wondering what in Tartarus just happened. He reached out and grabbed Gabrielle's arm. "Where are you going? Just because Xena and you are a thing doesn't mean we can't have some fun."

'Ok, I totally misjudged this guy. Xena will never let me live this one down.' Gabrielle thought to herself. "Actually, that is exactly what it means." She tried getting out of his grip, but his hand wouldn't budge. "Ok, I warned you."

She grabbed the arm that was holding her and twisted it with all of her force until his finger's loosened. 

"Ow…Let go of me!" Drake whined in pain.

Gabrielle let go of Drake's arm and said, "I'm sorry this is the way it had happened." She started walking out of the tavern.

Drake stood back up and mumbled, "Not yet, but you will be."

Chapter 2

"Gods, what a night." Gabrielle said to herself. "First, me and Xena manage to fight over the Ares thing _again_. Then, I met a gentleman who turned out exactly how I thought he wasn't. Now, I'm LOST!" Her patience had long-since been gone.

"Since you're alone, I guess you wouldn't mind having some company." A voice from the trees said.

"How long have you been following me, Drake?" Gabrielle asked while looking up at the tree she was sure he was in. 

"How did you know it was me?" Drake dropped out of the tree and landed in front of Gabrielle.

"I have been traveling with Xena. You know, the warrior princess. I was bound to learn some things from her." Gabrielle knew she needed to get away from this guy. He was dangerous and she would defend herself if she had to. Only if she had to. 'Gods, I wish Xena was here, even if she wanted to fight with me afterwards. Her presence would just calm me down.'

"You know Gabrielle, it didn't have to be this way." Drake threatened as he stepped closer to her.

'Ok, now it's time for you to show up, warrior.' "And just what way is that?" 'Oh gods, I am sure I don't want to know.'

"I'm sorry, this is the _only _way." He snapped his fingers and six other men stepped out of the forest and surrounded Gabrielle.

'Oh no.' "Listen Drake, please don't do anything you'll regret." 'Please let him stop this before it goes any farther.'

"Regret. Oh no, honey, the only thing I'm gonna regret is that I don't get to see Xena's face when I rape her best-friend." After saying that, the other men tried for a handful of the bard. 

There Gabrielle stood. The only clothing she had was her underwear, and that was barely on. She was holding her chest and looking into Drake's eyes. The only thing she saw in his eyes was emptiness.

Drake quickly knocked Gabrielle to the ground. "Well, this is gonna be fun." He had the men tie her hands and feet and tie those ropes onto little stakes that were surrounding her.

"Please Drake, don't do this." Gabrielle pleaded with him, bearing her eyes deep into his soul.

He couldn't look at her when she looked at him like that. He quickly slapped her. "Guys, me and the battling bard of Potadeia are gonna need a moment." He laughed evilly, which his friends joined in. 

The other men quickly left Drake to his task. "Now, this is gonna be fun."

"BOY, you're telling me." Xena jumped out of a nearby tree and landed at Gabrielle's feet and in front of Drake. 

Drake started backing away from Xena. He knew he stood no chance of defeating her. "Listen Xena, this was all fun and games. We…I mean _I_ wasn't gonna actually do anything to her." Drake explained.

"Well, Break is it?" Xena was toying with him now.

"No, it's Drake. Not Break, Drake." He said, trying to avoid Xena's icy stare.

"Oh, excuse me, D-R-A-K-E. Well, I'm sure you wouldn't have done anything to her. I know this for 2 reasons. Number one, she travels with me. Number two, she asked you not to."

Gabrielle looked at Xena, wide-eyed. Drake also did this.

'Just how long have you been there?' Gabrielle asked in her mind.

"Oh, I have been following you since you almost broke this guy's arm." Xena turned around to look at Gabrielle for a second, "But don't bother with that now. I will tell you later. You know, when you aren't tied up. Oh Gabrielle, we also need to talk about your taste in men. I know how much you like Drake here, but he _has _to be leaving, right Drake?" She turned back around to find that Drake had runaway.

"Oh Drake, I'm so disappointed." Xena added sarcastically. She removed her chakram from the hanger off of her hip and threw it into the forest. She yawned and asked absent-mindedly, "So, how are you?" Xena smiled real big at Gabrielle, letting her know she was just being playful.

"I would feel much better if I had some clothes and was untied." Gabrielle hinted.

"Well, here." Xena took Gabrielle's pack off her back and pulled a small cover-up over Gabrielle. Xena added teasingly, "Now, we'll discuss the untying later." 

Gabrielle couldn't help herself. She started laughing whole-heartedly. 

All of a sudden, Xena reached up and caught the chakram. "Well, keep warm, I'll be right back." Xena started to walk into the woods.

"Hey! I don't even think so, warrior princess. You better come and untie me or else." Gabrielle threatened. 

"Excuse me. Are you threatening me? I could get used to that." Xena walked over to where Gabrielle was and used her chakram to cut the ropes. "There, are ya happy? You just ruined my plan and now I can't do that." Xena mock-pouted.

"Awww…Xe, remember, I can read your mind so I know what you were thinking." Gabrielle said teasingly as she looked through her pack to find some clothes.

"Well, Gab," Xena leaned over and pulled Gabrielle's left ear to her mouth and whispered something to her.

Gabrielle just leered at Xena for a second. She couldn't believe Xena just said that. She looked back up at Xena who had a silly grin plastered on her face. This only made the situation funnier. Gabrielle started laughing until she was in tears. 

Xena leaned down and helped Gabrielle up. She looked away from Gabrielle with a serious expression on her face. "Gabrielle, hurry up and get dressed."

"Xena, you just said…"Gabrielle said.

"I know what I just said. Just trust me and put your clothes on." Xena was being really serious.

Gabrielle looked up at Xena's face and realized she wasn't joking. "Ok, I'll get dressed."

"No, please, stay just the way you are." Ares said as he appeared through a cloud of blue smoke.

"Ares, what do you want this time?" Xena asked as she repositioned herself in front of Gabrielle.

"Hey, you're ruining the show!" Ares exclaimed arrogantly as he tried to look over Xena's shoulder.

Xena quickly punched Ares in the jaw. Ares stumbled back long enough for Gabrielle to put her clothes on.

"Damn it Xena, look what you did. I didn't get to see her." Ares said as he pointed to Gabrielle.

That time Gabrielle gently pushed Xena out of the way and stood in front of Ares. "Well Ares, I can let you see me again…NOT!!!" She quickly kneed Ares in the groin.

"Ow! You wench …" Ares yelled in anger as he held himself.

"Ah! Watch it Ares." Xena looked at Ares with a stern face. Then, she looked over at Gabrielle and said, " Nice move. Where ever did you pick that up?"

"I don't know." Gabrielle answered teasingly. "It just came to me."

"Well, I'm glad you two are having fun, but now I'm mad." Ares stood up quickly and threw a ball of fire at the dynamic duo.

"Get down, Gab!" Xena yelled as she crashed onto Gabrielle and fell to the ground covering her.

"Wow Xena." Ares said. "You're getting kinda slow."

"Why I oughta kill you for that." Xena threatened as she stood up and helped Gabrielle to her feet.

"It's not my fault you're slowing down." Ares replied.

Gabrielle stepped between Xena and Ares and asked, "What is this about?"  
"You two. As always." Ares answered. Then, he quickly snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Well, I don't know what that was about but I am going to go look for our little friend. Somehow, I think he's connected to all this." Xena looked at Gabrielle and asked, "Are you going to be ok?"

"I would feel much better if you decided not to go look for him tonight. It will only be a few candle marks before sunrise. Couldn't we just make camp here?" Gabrielle tried to plead with Xena. It had been a very hard day and she knew they both needed to rest.

"Ok. I guess we can make camp here for the night." Xena really didn't want to leave Drake out there but she knew it would make her friend feel better if she got _some _sleep. 

The two friends starting making a small camp with the small supplies Xena had brought.

"I didn't think we would be camping out here since I already paid for a room. So all I brought is one blanket. I guess we'll have to share." Xena looked over at Gabrielle, who had a big smile on her face.

Gabrielle switched features into a mock-pout and said, "Well, if I have to." She walked over to Xena and helped make the small spread. 

"Ok, do you want the left or the right side?" Xena asked teasingly. 

"I just want you." 'Whoops…Did I say that out loud?' It was true. Gabrielle did want Xena but she knew how tired Xena really was and that they both needed to actually rest.

"Yes, you did say that out loud and that's ok. We can plan something next time. I really am tired." Xena wasn't really tired but she wanted to please her friend. Well, she wouldn't admit how tired she really was. She looked deep into her soul mates eyes. 'Gods Gabrielle, you really are gorgeous. And those beautiful eyes of yours just make you…breathtaking.' 

"Ok. Thanks." Gabrielle smiled warmly at Xena as she changed into a small tunic. She looked into Xena's eyes. She quickly turned her face when she realized what Xena was thinking and starting blushing profusely.

Xena just smiled and took off her armor and laid down on the small "bed" they had made and opened her arms for a safe entrance. She knew Gabrielle liked that sleeping position.

"YAY!" Gabrielle exclaimed as she literally pounced into Xena's arms. "I love sleeping like this."

"I thought so." Xena replied as she covered them with the rest of the blanket.

"Goodnight, my warrior princess. I love you" Gabrielle said softly as she positioned her head on Xena's shoulder.

"Goodnight, my battling bard. I love you too." Xena replied as she kissed Gabrielle's forehead.

The two fell asleep rather quickly in each other's arms and didn't have one bad thought for the rest of the early morning.

CHAPTER 3

"And just how long have you been awake?" Gabrielle asked as she adjusted her head so where she could talk. Her head was lying on Xena's stomach.

"Ah…Stop that! It tickles!" Xena lightheartedly demanded in between her laughs.

"You mean when I talk it tickles?" Gabrielle teased good-naturedly.

"Ah! You are soooo in for it." Xena sat up quickly and began to tickle the bard.

"AHHH!" Gabrielle started laughing until she was having problems breathing.

"Say it!" Xena teased.

In between laughing and breathing Gabrielle shouted, "Never, you vixen!"

Xena exclaimed, "Ok, then. You asked for it." She started going down to Gabrielle's leg (just behind the knee) and starting tickling her there.

"AH!! That's not fair Xena. You know that's where I'm weak." Gabrielle pleaded.

"All you have to do is say the magic words." Xena teased.

"Fine! I'll say it! Just stop!" Gabrielle ordered.

"Nope, you gotta say it first!" Xena demanded back.

Gabrielle shouted at the top of her lungs, "Xena: Warrior Princess is the best warrior in the world!"

"Nope, you have to say it all." Xena was about to stop tickling her but she decided to be evil and continue.

"And she's great in bed!" Gabrielle, after Xena stopped tickling her, started giggling some more. "I knew that would make you stop."

Xena, who had her mouth wide-open, just looked at Gabrielle in awe. 

The look on Xena's face cracked Gabrielle up. In between laughing, Gabrielle mumbled to Xena "We still being watched?" She continued to laugh.

"Haha…Yep" Xena replied as she laughed too. "Be ready."

Gabrielle took notice of Xena's right hand and saw the object Xena was searching for. Then, she stared at Xena and leaned up and kissed her.

With shock, Xena decided to act now, and ask later and kissed Gabrielle back. She continued looking for her chakram. 'Ah, found it.' Xena said to herself.

'I'll explain later and I'm ready, so throw whenever you want.' Gabrielle replied. 

Xena pulled away and nodded. She threw the chakram into the woods and stood up. She, rather quickly, put on her leathers and caught the weapon.

"Gabrielle, stay here and get dressed. I'll be back in a few minutes." Xena started to jog into the woods.

"Wait, please." Gabrielle yelled after her.

Xena heard the worry in Gabrielle's voice and turned around and walked to her. "It will be ok. I promise. I'm gonna go get that creep and I'll be right back. If you want, go ahead and start a fire and when I get back, we can make some breakfast. I'll even try and help." 

Gabrielle smiled at Xena warmly, knowing how much Xena hated to cook and said," Okay, just be careful." She leaned forward and hugged Xena.

"Always." Xena replied as she hugged her friend back. "I'll be back. I promise."

With saying that, Xena took off. 

'I'm counting on it'. Gabrielle said to herself. She then decided to get dressed and clean up the camp. She was totally unaware of the person watching her from the trees.

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"So Drake, you want to tell me what Ares is up to?" Xena looked down while her left foot was settled on his chest, forcing him to stay on the ground.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Xena. I just really wanted Gabrielle." Drake tried not to look at Xena's ice-blue gaze she had pinned on him.

"Uh-huh. I don't buy that, Drake." Xena knew he was lying.

"Well, I'm not selling it." Drake snorted.

Xena smacked him and looked at him snivel. " Now, do you want to tell me or do you want me to hurt you some more?" Xena put her best "Destroyer of Nations" look, and stared at him.

"I don't know. I certainly do know where all the brains are in your relationship with Gabrielle." 

This time, Xena applied the pinch on Drake. "That's enough. Now, you know I just did the pinch on you and only have 30 seconds to live. So, tell me what are you and Ares up to."

Drake started gasping. He knew if he didn't tell her, she would let him die. But, if he told her, Ares would find out and Ares would, sure enough, kill him in return. Then he decided what to do. "We aren't up to anything. We just completed our mission."

Xena quickly took the pinch off. "Just exactly what was the plan?" Xena started thinking. Her thoughts then ran back to Gabrielle.

She leaned down and knocked Drake unconscious and tied him up against the tree. "Now," She said to herself, "Time to get back to Gabrielle." She took off to the camp where Gabrielle was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gabrielle had managed to get a good fire going and she even managed to catch a rabbit. It was a nice, big one too. She knew Xena would be proud. All of a sudden, something made her skin crawl. 

'Oh my, am I actually learning another 'Xena' skill?' Gabrielle asked herself. "Show yourself." Gabrielle demanded. She sensed someone was out there. 

"Hello, Gabrielle." Ares said as he appeared out of thin air.

"Ares, what do you want this time?" Gabrielle quickly remembered what he had replied when she asked him that before. Terror ran down her back in tormenting chills in memory of before.

"I know what you're thinking, Gabrielle. No use trying to fight me. I'm too big and there's no way you could take me. Well, take me fighting-wise," Ares chuckled to himself, evilly.

"Oh, please. You don't think I'll just go peacefully, do you?" 

"Well, I thought you might, but I'm glad you aren't." Ares replied, matter-of-factly.

Gabrielle quickly pulled out her Sais and positioned herself closer to her staff.

"You know, Gabrielle. You're doing fairly well with those." Ares said gruffly.

Gabrielle was about to reply but all of a sudden she just completely settled down. 'Xena's close.' Her instincts informed her, easing the tension she felt. She smirked and said to Ares, "Gee, thanks, Ares. Your opinion means so much to me."

"Wow, you're just full of sweetness and love," Ares replied snottily

"I'd like to think so." Xena answered interrupting as she flipped into the air, twisting around and over Ares head leaving her to land directly in front of Gabrielle, which put her face-to-face with Ares.

And the fight began. Ares took the first move pulling his sword out meaning to severe Xena's arm.

Xena laughed dodging it with no trouble. "And you say I'm getting old. HAH!" Xena chuckled and took advantage of the moment flipping her sword in a quick steady V she struck it against Ares' leg. In return it left a rather large furrow.

"Damn you, Xena!" Ares swore angrily. He glanced down at his leg. "That's definitely going to leave a mark."

"Ares, really, the language is taunting."

He straightened up quickly, unsure if she was serious. But of course, she wasn't. In his short moment of confusion she spun bringing her foot up to a perfect 360-roundhouse kick to his chest, sending him reeling backwards into a nearby rut. His temper flared then. Rage filled him as he stumbled towards Xena in a fit of anger. Unable to think properly he tried to shove the heel of his palm across the bridge of her nose. Swinging right she slid behind him.

"Pst, you know you missed?" she teased.

"Stand still!"

"Okay," she answered straight-faced. He couldn't tell if she was serious or not, but he knew that she wasn't. Xena stood still for no one. But of course Ares was as stubborn as Xena was quick. Determined he stooped to pick up his sword, doing so he brought his leg up catching Xena off guard. This time it was her reeling backwards, but she was quicker to catch her balance and back flipped over the slightly large hole. She grinned, "Yeah, you think I'm going to fall for the same thing you did."

His next advance was quite clever as he stalked closer he threw out his right hand bringing the left one up under it. Xena watched the right hand come forward, dodged the left one, but missed the right one coming back. She felt the solid bone connect with her temple. For a moment she was dazed, but a short moment. Immediately she violently placed her fists across every available part of his body she could find. Ares stumbled backwards from the blows. Xena took that moment to tell Gabrielle to run and go back to the inn. Gabrielle did as was ordered and took off. Ares stood in front of Xena dazed, but grinning.

"You do that to me on purpose don't you."

"Shut up, Ares."

He grinned. Xena swung her sword in a slick X and as it came back up after cutting the letter in the air she released it. Spiraling upwards it looked like a glittering baton. It seemed to hold in the air for an eternity, but when it came back down it split the air with high-pitched whistle. Ares could be seen suddenly straightening a moment later. The sword had grazed his back, pinning him to the ground. Xena considered leaving him there, sword and all, but considered better of it. She slid her sword back into its sheath, bound and gagged Ares, and left.

Chapter 4

"Ok, I'm almost there. I think. I wasn't sure where I was going last night, and I'm not very sure where I'm going now." Gabrielle said to herself as she looked around for her trail from last night.

"Sure you do, you're coming with us, Gabby." A deep voice purred as the hilt of a sword was brought to her temple. Knocking her to the ground, unconscious, along with her staff.

"Well, that was reasonably easy." Drake bragged to his friend, Josh. He carefully picked Gabrielle up and walked over to the horses. 

"Yeah, well, let's get out of here before Xena shows up." Josh answered timidly as he mounted his horse.

"Ok ok. Let's go." Drake ordered as Josh leaned down and took Gabrielle from his arms and placed her in front of him.

Drake mounted his horse, scanned the perimeter, and took off with Josh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ughhhhh. Where am I?" Gabrielle asked as she rubbed her temples, trying to make the headache she woke up with go away.

"Well, good mornin' to you too, sugar britches." Drake said with a drawl. 

"Haha, very funny Drake. Where am I?" Gabrielle asked, getting annoyed at Drake.

"It doesn't matter. We really gotta get you into a bath. Ya know, get you all clean so we can get you dirty. Oh that sounds great."

"Well, I'll take shower duty and you guys can get relaxed and drink some of this great ale." Josh offered, holding up the canisters of ale.

"Great thinking, Josh. It sounds like a plan to me." Drake said as he snatched the ale away from Josh.  
Josh just grabbed Gabrielle and pulled her towards the river.

"Get your filthy hands off me, you weasel!" Gabrielle argued as she tried to pry her arms away from Josh's hands. 

"Please stop, Gabrielle. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to let you bathe, I'm hoping you'll take long enough to get them so drunk so that the time we get back, they'll be passed out. That way you and I could leave. Separately, of course."

"Wait, why are you going to do all that for me?" Gabrielle asked with her interest piqued. 

"Drake is my brother. I'm tired of following him around. I try to keep him out of trouble but it's obviously not working. I'm going to try and get home so I can get some help from my father before my brother gets killed." Drake reasoned. "Also, I'm really sorry about the other night. I was here and I had no idea what Drake and his friends were doing. If I had known, I would have talked them out of it. I humbly apologize."

"Oh, I understand. Well, I thank you Josh. Also, thank you for the concern but don't be too worried about it. Xena saved me." 'Yet again' Gabrielle added that last part to herself. She also added that he made sense. He resembled Drake a lot. He was really handsome. But he had light gray eyes instead of brown. 

Josh just sat down, turned his head, and waited for Gabrielle to undress and get into the hot spring he had led her to.

Gabrielle watched Josh turn around and quickly undressed and hopped into the spring.

For the rest of the time, they just talked. Josh did more listening, while Gabrielle enchanted him with stories about a black-haired beauty that was considered more than just a hero. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xena was bound towards the tavern, where she had directed Gabrielle to go. "Gabrielle, where are you? You really must have no sense of direction." Xena chuckled at herself. 

She continued down the path till she saw Gabrielle's staff and pack, lying in the middle of the path/road. Then she looked at the footprints and noticed there was a struggle. The footprints looked too small to be Ares' so she just figured it was Drake. 

"Well, the plus side to this is that they aren't very good raiders." Xena indicated to herself as she could see the entire path. 

Xena picked up Gabrielle's things and started walking, following the new path she found. She quickly decided it wouldn't take long to find the hideout of Drake. 'Should only be about 2 candle marks at the most.' She said to herself as she started humming a tune to herself.

'Hmmm… interesting. I have to remember this one. Too bad I don't have any of Gab's scrolls. Oh WAIT! Yes I do.' Xena stopped quickly and started searching through the small pack she had on her back. "Ah Ha! Here it is" Xena announced out loud. 'Gods Xena, you really need to stop talking to yourself. _Oh hush it! Everyone talks to themselves every now and then!' _She argued with her logic.  
"Okay, wait. What in the world am I doing? I'm about to sit down and start writing and Gabrielle is out there getting who knows what done to her. I am really starting to lose it." Xena announced to herself. She quickly put the scrolls up and continued on her way. She quickened her pace up a little, when her imagination started wondering to what they could have been doing to Gabrielle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Say Gabrielle, what's that you're humming?" Josh looked at Gabrielle as the two headed to the hideout.

"Oh, nothing really. Just something that came to my mind." She appeared to be deep in thought.

"Oh. Well, we're back." Josh led the way and stepped into the small, broke down house. "Looks like they drank all of it. I don't see the bottles anywhere." He whispered to Gabrielle.

"Wait Josh. When we left, there were 7 of them. Who's missing?" Gabrielle noted.

"Why, me of course." Drake announced as he knocked Josh in the head with the empty bottle of ale. 

Gabrielle quickly ran over to Josh but was stopped my Drake. "Oh no no no no. I don't think so. We are going to finish what we started." Drake said as he yanked her to a back room in the shack.   
"Drake, please, not again. Let's stop this. We both know Xena will show up. When she does, she'll only hurt you if she finds you doing this." Gabrielle pleaded.

SLAP! "Will you shut up about Xena? Every conversation we have you always bring her up. Just shut up!" Drake yelled in Gabrielle's face as he started to rub her firm stomach.

Gabrielle quickly kicked Drake in the stomach and took off on a dead run. She made it out to the main room and almost out of the door, but all of a sudden, she felt someone grab a hold of the bottom of her outfit causing her to trip. (Yes, she lost her skirt, and no, she still has on underclothes)

After a few moments passed, Gabrielle opened her eyes and noticed she wasn't on the ground. In fact, she found that she was in two very strong, familiar arms. She quickly relaxed and looked up into two beautiful azure eyes. 'Xena.' Gabrielle found her feet and placed them on the ground and gave her warrior a hug. "Thank you Xena." Gabrielle whispered.

"You're welcome, my bard." Xena looked down at Gabrielle and nodded knowingly. "Excuse me, buddy. That belongs to my friend." Xena pointed to the skirt he had in his hands. 

"Oh, this? Yeah, sorry about that." The thug quickly tossed the skirt to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle quickly put her skirt back on and laughed inwardly at the expression Xena had on her face. It ranged anyway from 'The Destroyer of Nations' to something that resembled 'The Goddess of Love'. But only Gabrielle received that last look. No one else in that shack saw it.

"Stop that bitch before she gets away!" Drake yelled as he ran out of the backroom. He stopped just as fast as he started. He saw the look Xena was giving him. "Enough of this. Kill them both!" Drake shouted angrily. He was really shocked when he noticed all of his companions drop their swords. "What are you idiots doing?! I demand you to…"

"I believe," Xena interrupted as she took three long strides, making her face to face with Drake, "Like I said, I _believe _they are smartening up, just like you should." Xena stated matter-of-factly.

"And I believe…"Drake suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious. 

"You should shut up." Josh finished as he re-sheathed the sword he used to knock Drake upside the head with. He quickly looked over at Gabrielle and Xena and smiled.

"Hey Josh! Are you feeling alright?" Gabrielle stepped over to Josh.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Listen, I can take care of these guys, why don't you and your warrior head on. I can handle this. I found out my father is on his way here anyway. So I have back up. I'll be fine so you two can go on."

Gabrielle was about to protest when Xena stepped up beside Gabrielle and extended her arm for a warrior-shake. "Thank you…Josh? Yes, thank you Josh." Xena smiled and headed out the door. 

"No, I want to thank you, Gabrielle. I mean, Xena stopped them, but you helped me see the light. I am forever indebted to you. When you were telling me those stories about Xena, I knew you were leaving out a very important person. Yourself. You need to give yourself more credit than that. I'm sure Xena would agree with me on this. But anyway, thank you again and may you have a safe trip." Josh leaned close and hugged Gabrielle. Then he took her hand and kissed it politely and said "My thanks to you, Gabrielle-Battling Bard of Potadeia. My wishes for you a safe journey." 

Gabrielle didn't know what to say. She smiled and walked away.

Xena and Gabrielle made it back to the tavern. They only stayed long enough to get their things and pay the owner, even though they didn't use the room. They went into the stables and mounted their horses and left.

Chapter 5

"Well, that was a great meal, Gabrielle. But then again, anything you do is great." Xena smiled over at Gabrielle.

"Why, thank you my sweet warrior. I aim to please." Gabrielle flirted.

"Hmm… Is that so?" Xena looked off absent-mindedly. "Would you like any help clearing the meal?"

"Okay, spill it. What's the bad news? First you tell me everything I do is great, and then you offer to help with the dishes. Something must be wrong." Gabrielle eyed Xena suspiciously. 

"Actually, everything is right. I was just honestly being polite." 

Gabrielle looked into Xena's eyes and noticed she really wasn't lying. "Well, thank you but I can handle this. I do appreciate the offer."

"Ok. I've already cleaned my sword. Do you think you could spare a scroll? I was thinking of something and I would like to write it down before I forget it." Xena asked Gabrielle.

"But of course." Gabrielle walked over to her pack and handed Xena a scroll, a quill, and some ink. Then she walked back and started her chores. 

Xena was obviously writing something interesting. She didn't say another word until it had gotten really late.

"Xena, I hate to interrupt but it is late and we should probably get some sleep. What do you say to, we put that scroll away, climb into bed, and in the morning, after breakfast of course, we go for a swim?" 

"Sounds good to me. I was just finishing anyway." Xena put the scroll in her pack and put the quill and ink back in Gabrielle's pack. She climbed into the bed and opened her arms for Gabrielle.

Gabrielle happily laid down and snuggled into Xena's embrace. She decided to ask Xena about the scroll in the morning. 

"Good night, my beautiful bard." Xena said quietly as she kissed Gabrielle's forehead softly.

"Good night, my strong protector." Gabrielle stated quietly as she began to drift off. She was almost completely asleep until she heard Xena whisper something. "What was that?"

"Oh. I just said these are the moments. Never mind, just go to sleep my love." 

The two drifted to sleep in each other's arms. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A pair of soft, blue eyes opened to greet the morning. 'Ah', the dark-haired woman sighed, 'It's going to be a beautiful day.' She cast her eyes down to the smaller woman in her arms. 'Nope, she's still sleeping. I guess we should get up. But,' she added with an evil-little grin, 'I could wake her up…another way.' She leaned her face down and cast small, butterfly kisses over the smaller woman's tender face.

The bard kept her eyes closed and allowed a small smile cover her face. 

Xena took this as encouragement and kept placing kisses on Gabrielle's face. She slowly started to work her way down to her partner's jaw line when she heard a sharp intake of breath. She smiled, knowing she hit a pressure point. Then, for a moment, deep azure eyes met with soulful green eyes. Then she made her way back to Gabrielle's waiting lips.

After the kiss, green eyes fluttered open to find blue. Sighing, she said, "Now that was a great way to start my day. Hey, that rhymes." The bard got a throaty chuckle from the warrior and added, "We have to start our days like that more often, now that you showed me how great it felt." 

"Oh Hades, that is just going to be _hard_ doing that. But I guess I can _try_." Xena teased and winked at the body that was now pinning her down.

"I bet you can succeed too. You have great stamina." Gabrielle's eyes twinkled mischievously. 

"S'that so?" Xena smirked playfully.

"Well, it _was_ true, but you need to prove it again." 

And she did…for several candle marks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How do you do it, Xena? I mean, you can be sitting there, relaxing, and then you can jump up and attack the three guys that were sneaking up behind you?" Gabrielle asked while she was working the lather up in Xena's hair. 

"Gabrielle, I told you this before. It's just my senses and years of…experience. What are you really getting at?" Xena asked, getting right to the point.

"Well… I don't understand something. How is it you can be fighting someone and out of the blue, beat up the guy that's attacking me? I mean, you always come to my rescue. It's like I can't take care of myself. Before you protest that, think about it. Over the years, think about how many times you've saved me. Now think of how many times I've helped you."

Xena thought for a moment. "You want to save me. Then do it." She quickly went out into the deeper end and disappeared under the water.

"Oh haha Xena." Gabrielle waited for a minute or so. "Xena. Don't joke about this. Where are you?" She started out there and still couldn't find her. Now she was getting a little anxious. "Xena this isn't funny. Something could happen." She saw a spot that where air bubbles were coming up to the surface. She quickly swam over there.

Gabrielle sucked in a deep breath and dove under water. It was about 2 minutes later when she emerged, with a limp warrior in her arms. She quickly made her way to the bank and put her ear on Xena's chest. Nothing. She had found Xena at the bottom with her feet tangled in some roots. 

"Don't you dare do this to me, Xena. You better wake up." She started to pound on Xena's chest. Then she saw the chest beneath her rise a bit. "Yeah, that's it. Come on." She carefully hit Xena's chest one more time, causing Xena to sit up and spit out the water she had swallowed. 

Then, Xena opened her eyes and smiled warmly at Gabrielle. "Thank you for saving me, Gabrielle."

"That wasn't funny, Xena. You shouldn't have done that." Gabrielle said sternly.

"Gabrielle, it did start out as only a joke, but you really did save me. I was about to swim back up and saw my feet were tangled. So, thank you my bard." Xena leaned over and kissed Gabrielle soundly.

"For that, anytime." Gabrielle smirked.

"Okay…"Xena was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder. "Hmm. I guess we had better find shelter, don't you think?" She looked at the sky and asked Gabrielle.

"Yeah, that sounds great to me."

The two dried off, got dressed, and picked up their camp. Then they mounted their horses and trotted off, looking for some shelter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had only taken them half a candle mark to find a reasonably sized cave. They had taken the saddles off the horses and let them roam for a while. Xena had just returned from a hunting trip when it started to rain.

"Here you are, my bard." Xena handed Gabrielle the two skinned rabbits. 

"Hey, I thought you were going to help me." Gabrielle stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.

"Relax. I'm just building up the fire. Then I'll help you." Xena assured Gabrielle.

After Xena finished building up the fire, she did as she said she would. The two made dinner and were finishing eating.

"Oh Gods that was delicious. I should have you help more often." Gabrielle stated as she sat her plate down. 'I'm sure glad I got into a regular tunic. I'm scared to look at my stomach after that meal.'

"Nah, I think you do just fine by yourself, Gabrielle. But thanks for thinking I can cook." Xena winked at Gabrielle.

"Aww. Don't be all big and bad. You did a great job. And thank you for helping." Gabrielle started putting away the dirty dishes, since they didn't have anything to clean them with. The water they had was for drinking, not cleaning.

"Here," Xena took the dishes, "let me take those for you."

Gabrielle just complied and let Xena take them as she found a seat for herself. She couldn't help but notice that little scroll sticking out of Xena's saddlebag. "Hey Xena, I was just wondering something. I mean, what go you so.. I guess worked up yesterday. Where, you actually wrote something?"

"Actually, "Xena grabbed the scroll out of her saddlebag, "This is one of two surprises for you." 

"Ooh. I like surprises. Especially from you." The bard teased.

"Good." Xena offered a hand-up to Gabrielle. Gabrielle took Xena's hand but when she was pulled up, she was higher than her usual height. 

"Xena, you don't have to carry me. I can walk." Gabrielle just smiled and put her arms around Xena's neck. Then she stuck her head close to Xena's chest. "Gods you smell good."

"Gabrielle. Stop that. I'm going to blind-fold you now. But, just trust me." Xena said while she let Gabrielle down slowly and started to put a strap of linen over her eyes.

"Of course I trust you with everything, Xena."

After Xena had Gabrielle blindfolded, she begin to lead her deeper into the cave. After a few minutes, they came to a stop.

"Do you still trust me, Gabrielle?" 

"Xena, you don't have to ask that. Of course I do." Gabrielle reassured.

"Okay, then don't move." 

Xena unsheathed her breast dagger and cut Gabrielle's loose tunic. She looked at the bard's face and noticed no change. Well, except for the smile Gabrielle had on her face.

Gabrielle noticed the cave had gotten a little warmer, but caves were like that. At least the ones she had been in. She was just trying to take everything in when she heard Xena say her name. "Hhmm? What was that?"

"I said, that I was going to take that thing off your eyes. But you have to promise me that you will keep your eyes shut." 

"Okay Xena, I promise not to open my eyes." 

The first thing Gabrielle felt was the blade against her head, slicing the cloth that was covering her eyes. The next thing she felt was being lifted into Xena's arms to reveal that Xena had taken off her leathers. Then, together they had been lowered into some very warm water. "Oh Xena, a hot spring!" She leaned forward; eyes still closed, and kissed her warrior soundly.

Xena let the kiss linger for a bit longer until she pulled back. Both of them were breathing roughly. "Okay Gabrielle, you can open your eyes now." 

Gabrielle did and noticed the small candles everywhere and closed her eyes again, taking in the scent. She opened her eyes again and looked straight into Xena's eyes. "Thank you, my warrior. This is just amazing."

"For you, my bard, anytime." 

"So, what about the other surprise? I'm just dieing to know what you wrote." Gabrielle smiled warmly at Xena.

"Okay, here you go." Xena handed Gabrielle the scroll. "I'll give you a minute to let you read this. I'll just go get dried off and changed." Xena said quickly. She leaned over and kissed Gabrielle on her forehead and got out of the spring. Then, she wrapped herself in a long piece of linen and walked back to where their fire was.

Gabrielle first opened the scroll and smiled. There were two parts to the scroll. The first part was a note. And this is what she read.

__

My Dearest Bard,

Here I am again. Writing again. I thought you were the bard. What's up with this? I'm kidding. Anyway, I look over at you by the campfire and I'm sure you see that little goofy smile on my lips. I'm a mush ball, I admit it. But you better keep quiet about that. I have a reputation to keep up, you know. Kidding again. But I really want to tell you, I was walking along that path by myself, looking for you, and I felt alone. I really don't like being without you. I know it wasn't long, but I hate being without you. You are truly my soul mate and I want you to know that. I love you with all that I am and all that I have. You are the keeper of my soul and my only love. You know, people say love is what makes us weaker. But truthfully, when I'm in a battle, the thing that keeps me alive is the love I have for you. It can only get stronger. Remember when you ask me how many times you've saved me? Well, think of it this way. Where would I be without meeting you? I would probably have become 'Destroyer of Nations' again. You saved me in the most important way anyone could have. You became a friend. I cannot promise you that the rest of our lives will be peaceful. Somehow, trouble is attracted to you just as much as I am. But, I can promise you, that for the rest of our lives, you will own my heart. And I will do my damnedest to keep you happy. Not only will I protect you, but I will also protect the trust and love you have in me. You really are my everything. My one and only true love. The keeper of my soul. The love of my life. I could give you all the titles you are to me, but you've been in that spring long enough. Get out before you turn into a very wrinkled grape. One more thing before I let you read on. I will always be with you. I love you, my bard.

Love Always and Forever, (Again)

Your Warrior

All Gabrielle could do was stare at the note. After re-reading it 3 times, she started crying, until she found two strong arms carefully lifting her out of the warm spring. "Xena.. I… I don't know what to say." 

"Gabrielle, you said plenty with one look." 

Gabrielle put her arms around Xena's neck and kissed her softly. After a moment, she willingly stood up on her own feet. "Good to know."

"Hm? Good to know what?" Xena looked over at Gabrielle while she dried her off.

"Good to know I still have legs. I thought I lost them for a moment."

"Well, it's official. You are defiantly the bard. No more notes for you." Xena teased.

"Well, if I don't get any notes, you don't get any…" Gabrielle whispered something for only Xena's ears.

"Okay, deal. You get all the notes I can write." 

"Good. Glad we got that settled." Gabrielle winked at Xena. "Now, you want to let me read this last piece of the scroll?"

"Well, how about we take it to the fire, and we cuddle while you read it? I _did _say I would always be here. What better way to prove it?" 

"Good point. Let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay," Xena stated to Gabrielle, as they got comfortable laying together, "just a warning. This has been in my mind for a bit. Anyway, enjoy because it's very rare for me to just write something. Especially something like that."

Gabrielle unfolded the rest of the scroll and began to read:

__

Lying here with you  
Listening to the rain  
I smile just to see the smile upon your face  
These are the moments I thank the Gods that I'm alive  
And these are the moments I'll remember all my life  
I've found all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more

Continuing to read, Gabrielle heard Xena behind her, humming a soft tune that managed to fit perfectly with the words on the scroll. 

__

Looking in your eyes  
Seeing all I need  
Everything you are means everything to me  
These are the moments  
I know Elysia must exist  
And these are the moments  
I know all I need is this  
I've found all I've waited for,  
And I could not ask for more 

I could not ask for more than this time together  
I could not ask for more than this time with you  
And every prayer has been answered  
Every dream I've had's come true  
Yeah, right here in this moment  
Is right where I'm meant to be  
Here with you here with me 

These are the moments I thank the Gods that I'm alive  
And these are the moments I'll remember all my life  
I've found all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more 

I could not ask for more than this time together  
I could not ask for more than this time with you  
And every prayer has been answered  
Every dream I've had's come true  
Yeah, right here in this moment  
Is right where I'm meant to be  
Oh, here with you here with me  
No, I could not ask for more  
Than this love you gave me  
Cause it's all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more 

Well Gabrielle,

These certainly are the moments. But what makes them moments is the fact that you're here with me. Like I said earlier, I will always be here with you. Even in death Gabrielle, I will never leave you. But, to insure that, I have another surprise for you. I used almost this entire scroll. Go ahead and go to the bottom of it and there is something hidden there. I love you Gabrielle, my beautiful bard of Potadeia.

Xena

Gabrielle just looked back at Xena, since she was sitting down with her back against the front of Xena. Xena just smiled at her and nodded her head. Gabrielle did as the instructions on the scroll said to. She got to the bottom and had to pull forcefully to get a piece of parchment out of it. "Xena, please tell me you aren't trying to be funny." She read the note. It simply said, "Turn around." And she did. Before her eyes was a small ring that would fit her perfectly. There was a diamond in the middle that matched her partner's eyes, with a small circle surrounding the diamond that looked like Xena's chakram. And then, around the chakram was a small circle of small diamonds that matched her own eyes. She just stared at it for a little while. She barely heard Xena's voice, but when she finally did, she looked up and listened to her.

"Gabrielle, like I said, I can't promise you that the rest of our lives will be peaceful and harmonious. But, I can promise you that every moment of the rest of your life, I will be by your side. So, would you do me this high honor by becoming, not only my wife, but also my soul?"

Gabrielle couldn't speak. She opened her mouth numerous times but came to no avail. She finally regained her composure and said, "Xena, not only will I do that, but I will also never let you go. Where you go, I go. No matter what we do in life. The point will be is that we do it together." Then Gabrielle allowed Xena to slip on the ring. It fit perfectly.

The two got lost in each other's souls for the remainder of the evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Small pieces of sunlight etched its way over the mountains, breathing life into the new day. Tiny bursts of red, orange, and purple made their clearing over the large mountains. A small breeze followed the beautiful sunrise to start the day. Nature was making its' harmonious sounds, letting every breathing thing know that we had at least one more day on this, at the moment, peaceful earth. The new light hit its destination. A small cave in a clearing where 2 opposite looking women made a whole. 

The smaller blonde was the first to stir. 

Gabrielle was shocked to find that Xena was still asleep. "That's odd." She murmured to herself. 'Oh well, I'll let her sleep more.' Gabrielle slowly crept out of Xena's arms and out of the small 'bed' Xena had made for them. Gabrielle remembered everything in detail about the night before. She walked over to her pack and grabbed a scroll. She wanted to make sure she never forgot anything that happened that night.

About half a candlemark later, Gabrielle looked up from her scroll. "Well, that didn't take long. Considering last night felt like eternity." She put her scroll back in her pack and grabbed a change of her traveling clothes. "I'm gonna go for a little swim. I better leave her a note." Gabrielle ripped off a piece of scroll and wrote Xena a note. After she finished, she sat it down, picked up a soft linen cloth, and headed to the lake they swam in the _day _before with her staff. 

She stripped her clothing off and hopped in the refreshing water. It felt unbelievably good. The sun had come out completely and it shone directly on her back. Gabrielle enjoyed the mixture of the cold water dripping off her shoulders while the suns' golden rays hit the same spot, creating a really comfortable feeling. After about half a candlemark, she swam over to a large boulder on the edge of the bank and hoisted herself on it. Luckily, her towel was close, so Gabrielle reached over and picked it up. Having not done a perimeter check, she toweled off a bit and put her top on and a pair of comfortable underwear. It was a nice day to work on her tan. 

Suddenly, she felt something near by. Gabrielle didn't recognize it as Xena's, but it was defiantly a warrior. Xena had taught her how to establish that. She reasoned, different people had ways of holding their selves and warriors always had that confident walk. Now, the person was only feet away from Gabrielle. She kept still until she knew it was time to attack. Gabrielle reached for her staff and twisted sideways, facing her supposed attacker. "Hold it!" She pounced up to her feet quickly and held her staff in front of her.

A medium-sized looking young woman was standing there, still not moving. She looked at Gabrielle, trying to show her that she was here in peace. "You're Gabrielle, aren't you?" 

Gabrielle nodded and dropped the tip of her staff down. She then studied the woman standing opposite of her. She had to still be a teenager, but she was very built. She had short hair and was defiantly an Amazon. "I am Gabrielle. Who are you?" 

The girl smiled, knowing Gabrielle was still very alert and could bust her head open in one second. She held out her arm in a friendly manner. "My name is Calli. I'm being a messenger for Queen Varia." She smiled again when Gabrielle smiled and accepted her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Calli. I suppose Varia has something for me?" Gabrielle released Calli's arm and sat back down on her rock, nodding towards the space on the rock, allowing Calli to sit. 

"Thank you." Calli sat down beside Gabrielle. "Well, she didn't write anything down, but I have the message upstairs." Calli knocked her forehead before continuing. "Dear Gabrielle. It's about time for you and tall dark and deadly visited. Get your butts up here soon. Varia. That was the note." Calli laughed at her Queen. She had a lot of nerve to tell them that.

Gabrielle chuckled to herself. That had to be from Varia. "Well, would you like to go with me back to our camp so I could write a note to Varia. I would just give you a message, but this is a surprise." Gabrielle looked over at the younger girl and noticed the disappointment on her face. "Oh, don't make that puppy face. All right, I'll tell you. Sheesh! Xena and I are to be joined." 

"Really?! Are you serious?! You have to have it at the Amazon camp! You have to! Oh Gabrielle you just have to!" Calli stood up and bounced with joy. Varia had told Calli just how close the two were and this was just exciting. 

"Well, that's why I need to write a note. I'll have to discuss it over with Xena. But you can't let on that you know. Okay?" Gabrielle couldn't help but to smile at the young, Calli. She seemed to be a sweet girl.

"Okay, I won't mention a word. Wow! Can I give you a hug? I don't want to get my head taken off or anything. You were an inspiration to me and I never imagined I would ever get the honor to meet you." Calli waited for Gabrielle to nod and she gave her a big hug. Gabrielle was about her height and so she didn't feel so small. In fact, it had been Gabrielle that had kept her going when she was younger. All her stories of the great warrior princess and their journey for the greater good had inspired Calli to live on after her tragedy in youth. 

Gabrielle could hear the crack in the girl's voice so she hugged her reassuringly. Something awful had happened to her and she would find out later. "So," Gabrielle said as she stepped away from Calli, "Would you care to walk with me back to camp?" 

Calli took a deep breath. "Of course I would. Let's go." She waved her hand in front of Gabrielle, inviting her to go first and following beside her.

After a few minutes, they arrived back to the cave and Gabrielle walked through the entrance. She noticed Xena's bedroll had been rolled up and she was nowhere to be seen. "Hey Xena?" Gabrielle looked around some more.

"Hey love! I just got out of the spring. It was nice and toasty. Would you care to join me? I was about to go back in there." Xena stepped into view, wearing absolutely nothing. She then noticed the extra person standing beside Gabrielle. "Damn Gabrielle. Can't you go anywhere without finding trouble?" Xena ran over and clasped her sword.

"Whoa. Uhm, Xena. You're naked. She's not trouble. This is a friend of Varia's." Gabrielle's mouth had yet to close. She knew Xena was anything but modest, but she didn't have to stand there looking so gorgeous. "Xena, please cover up." 

"Oh yeah, sorry." Xena dropped her sword and picked up a large shirt and threw it over her head. "This better? " She waited for Gabrielle to nod before sizing up the other girl. She was about Gabrielle's height, with dark brown hair, and deep brown eyes. She didn't look like she was afraid, but rather in awe. "Who are you?"

Calli cleared her throat and waited for the blush to go somewhat away before making her way to where Xena was. "I'm Calli. I was sent to find you two to deliver a message." Calli offered her hand out to Xena and squeezed slightly when she felt Xena do the same.

Xena just nodded and smiled inwardly. This girl is pretty confident. Must be related to Varia. "So, what was the message?" She let go of Calli's hand and stepped back a little.

"Well, she simply said this. Dear Gabrielle, It's about time for you and tall dark and deadly visited. Get your butts up here soon. Varia. That's it." She smiled at Xena and then looked over at Gabrielle and smiled at her too.

"Oh. So Varia wants us to visit? Maybe." Xena stuck her tongue against the side of her mouth and thought for a moment. "Gabrielle and I can discuss this later. Would you like to camp in here with us for tonight before you head back tomorrow morning?" Xena looked over at Gabrielle, receiving a nod from her bard.

"Sure, that would be great as long as I'm not intruding on anything." Calli smiled at her politely.

"Nope, that's fine." Gabrielle walked over to Xena and wrapped an arm around her waist. 

"So, is anyone else hungry other than my Queen here?" Xena nudged Gabrielle in the side, slightly before letting a tiny laugh escape her throat.

Calli laughed for a moment. "Actually, I am a little hungry. I'm pretty lucky I found Gabrielle at that river. I had just gone there to get a refill on my water supply." 

"Great. What does everyone say to having meat pies and then going for a swim? Then, Calli, you can fill us in on what's been going on. For dinner, we could fry some fish. What do we all say to that?" Xena waited for everyone to nod before letting go of Gabrielle's arm that was attached to her side and walking over to grab a linen cloth for everyone. "Let's go." She started out towards the mouth of the cave and waited for them to catch up. 

Gabrielle picked up her staff and carry pack and followed Xena.

Calli shrugged and followed both of them. 

Chapter 6

It had turned out to be a decent day, Xena mused to herself silently. They had had breakfast and went swimming. Then Calli had told them everything going on at the village and now they were finishing up the fish she had caught that afternoon.

"So Calli, what were those dreams about? The ones where your…uhm…partner helped you with?" Gabrielle had taken another sip of tea that Xena had made for them.

"Well, that's kinda a long story. It explains a lot about why I love you guys so much." Calli took a drink of her tea and took a deep breath. "I guess I could tell you. I mean, you're Xena and Gabrielle. You have seen a lot in this world." She took another drink and sat her empty glass down. "When I was 11, my family and I were traveling down this dirty path that had been pretty-much empty. After it had gotten dark and my father grew tired, we decided to just camp out. We had gone to visit some friends in town and we were heading back to home. It was only my mother, father, and I. Well, when we stopped; a big group of men showed up and kept harassing my mother and I. So, my father warned them and they took off. My father decided to keep going until we got home. After a candlemark of riding, we finally got home. I told mother and father to go on in and I would put the horses into the barn to save my dad the trouble. When I finished that, I headed to my house." Calli had to take a deep breath and smiled when Xena handed her another cup of tea. "Thanks." She took another sip. "When I got inside, I found my father laying on the ground with a knife sticking out of his chest. My mother was sprawled out across the table, their leader had just ripped her clothes off." Calli took a moment to wipe away her tears.

"Oh Gods no." Gabrielle reached over and grabbed Calli's hand and squeezed it gently.

"There weren't any Gods there to help my faithful family. Anyway, the leader or other 4 or 5 men hadn't noticed me, so I snuck over to my father's body and pulled out the knife from his chest. I sucked in my breath before releasing the blade. It landed in the leaders chest and he dropped right there. It didn't kill him. It stopped him from touching my mother like that. They all charged me and pulled me to him. They took their turns beating me and made me watch their leader slice my mother's throat. After he did that, he raped me and left me for dead." Calli used her free hand to wipe away the extra tears. After doing that, she felt Xena take her other hand and she smiled up at her. "The next day, after they left, a caravan passed through and it was a group of Amazons. They stumbled across me, literally, and buried my family. They thought it would be a better idea to take me with them instead of letting me just die there. It took a long time, but I finally got over that."

"What helped you through all that? I mean, you said you hadn't met Alex yet. So, what was it?" Gabrielle smiled at the girl. She had given her more credit for living though such a terrible tragedy. 

"It's funny you should ask that." Calli chuckled. "A traveling bard came through the land of the Amazons and told many stories of the legendary Xena and Gabrielle. They were written by the famous bard, Gabrielle herself." 

The bard blushed after hearing her praise. "Well, you are a very brave person for doing what you did. Some people would have just given up."

"Or got even." Xena added. 

"But you didn't." Gabrielle squeezed Calli's hand and reached behind her new friend and grabbed Xena's hand. They had been sitting in front of the fire, all warm and cozy.

Xena smiled at Gabrielle. 'That's my hero.' She thought to herself.

"Yes, well, it's late and I am rather tired. I have the note you gave to me Gabrielle. I will be sure and give it to Varia as soon as possible." Calli smiled and stood up. 

"Alright Calli. I am looking forward to seeing you soon." Gabrielle stood up and gave Calli a heartfelt hug before finally letting go.

Xena stood up and gave the shocked Calli a hug and light kiss on the forehead. "You are a very brave person." She stepped back. "Tell Varia I owe her a beating when I get there. I hope you have a safe journey in the morning." Xena smiled at Calli.

Calli nodded her head and wished them both farewell before exiting the cave. She had told the two that there had been a cavern about half a candlemark away and she would sleep there. 

Xena looked over at Gabrielle and smiled. "Tough girl right there. Reminds me of a certain bard I know." 

Gabrielle looked over at Xena and smiled back at her. "Oh yeah? She reminds me of a certain warrior princess I know." She stuck her tongue out at Xena before stepping into a hug with her 6-foot tall warrior pillow.

After a moment, Xena finally broke the silence. "So, you want to be joined there with the Amazons?" 

Gabrielle stood back and thought for a minute before looking back up at Xena. "I guess it would be something I would enjoy. If you don't want to, that's fine. I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do." She looked down again for a self-doubting minute.

"Nope, I'd love to get joined there. I can't wait to smirk at all of them because I'm marrying their Queen." Xena knew that would do the trick.

"Oh I love you Xena!" Gabrielle ran into Xena's arms and kissed her warrior princess haphazardly all over her face.

"I love you too, puppy dog. You don't have to slobber, you know." Xena stopped Gabrielle from kissing her long enough to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

After the kiss ended, Gabrielle stifled a yawn. "Let's get to bed. I told Varia we would be there in about 2 weeks or so. Is that okay with you?" 

Xena simply nodded and changed into another one of her larger shirts before removing Gabrielle's clothes off also and putting a large shirt on her. She lifted Gabrielle into her arms and laid down on their little pallet. 

Gabrielle just giggled and went along with it. She loved it when Xena swept her off her feet. "Goodnight Xena, I love you." She kissed Xena once more before settling down with her head on Xena's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Goodnight Gabrielle, I love you too." Xena wrapped her arm around Gabrielle's body and closed her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xena stood up and dusted her leathers off. "Come on Gabrielle, let's go." They had both woken up early and decided to travel through a few merchant villages before going to the Amazons. Xena was just waiting for Gabrielle to grab her scrolls. Then they would be off.

"Okay, here I am." She exited out of the cave and walked over to Xena with her bag of scrolls and handed them to Xena.

Xena took the scrolls and hooked them onto their own little spot that she had specially put on her saddle. She held out a hand for Gabrielle to go up first.

"You mean I get to ride up front?" Gabrielle smiled brightly when Xena nodded. She hopped up Argo's saddle and sat down comfortably. She loved riding like this because Xena wrapped her arms around the bard and it felt great to be in her arms.

Xena mounted the horse behind Gabrielle and reached around the bard to grab the reins. "Go ahead and take a nap, we're going at a slow pace today." She smiled and started Argo on a steady pace.

Gabrielle leaned her head back and closed her eyes. " I love you, Xena." 

Xena chuckled at Gabrielle. She loved to hear Gabrielle say that so often. "I love you too, Gabrielle." 

Gabrielle sighed. This was going to be a great trip.

****

THE END


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